Colors need to be balanced proportionally within a project in order to keep our publications consistently recognized as coming from YVC and to support creative freedom. Publications designed for external audiences should incorporate each of these color elements.

Clean Space: Enough clean space should be set aside in every publication in order to keep the design from appearing cluttered or overly busy. Clean space is any section of the publication where no significant information or design is located. This can consist of pure white space, photographs, solid color, patterns or illustrations. When using a photograph or illustration as clean space, make sure to select elements which do not appear overly busy.

YVC Red: In order to support an immediate connection with the college, YVC Red must be present and prominent in the design. Under special circumstances, such as banners and tablecloths, there may be less red. Contact Community Relations for approval.

Black/Text: In general, approximately 20% of a designed piece should be black or text blocks. This value can be higher for documents that are more text based than design.

Secondary Colors: A small amount of the design should consist of YVC’s secondary or tertiary color palette. The use of secondary colors can help bring emphasis to important information within or near it.

*For suggestions about the proportion of each element to use in a specific project, please contact Community Relations.